Eastern Cougar

The Eastern Cougar, also known as the eastern puma, was a large feline that has officially been pronounced extinct by the authorities. However, not everyone agrees that these cats from eastern North America are extinct. Interestingly, claims about sightings of eastern cougar paw or footprints, tracks, droppings, and even the animals themselves have now been on the increase.

Pictures

Eastern Cougar

Eastern Puma

Eastern Cougar Range Map

Eastern Cougar Image

Eastern Cougar Photo

Eastern Cougar Picture

Eastern Cougar Size

Scientific
Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Carnivora

Suborder

Feliformia

Family

Felidae

Subfamily

Felinae

Genus

Puma

Species

P. concolor

Subspecies

†P. c. couguar

Trinomial/Scientific
Name

Puma concolor couguar

Quick Facts

Size

Up to 2.4 meters (8 ft) in length (nose to
tail)

Height

60 to 76 cm (2.0 to 2.5 ft) tall at the
shoulders

Weight

Anything between 29 and 90 kilograms (64 and
198 pounds)

Average Lifespan

About 8-12 years

Location/Distribution &
Habitat

Lived in a variety of habitats, including
deserts, mountainous terrain, tidal marshes, and deciduous, coniferous and tropical
forests of north-eastern regions of North America

Diet

Carnivorous

Birth Type (Reproduction)

Viviparous

Locomotion

Quadruped

Conservation Status

‘TX’ (Presumed Extinct, 2016, NatureServe)

History of
Extinction

Unofficially,
in 2011, this long-tailed puma subspecies was considered to be extinct by an evaluation
conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Then after,
in 2011, the Fish and Wildlife Service opened an elaborate review about the
status of the creature. In 2015, the agency inferred that the animal does not
need to be protected under the Endangered Species Act and decided to de-list
it.

In the same
year, a group of scholars and students from the Pennsylvania State University
formed a group to research about the sequence of the mitochondrial DNA genome
of this subspecies that they understood to have already gone extinct.

Finally, in
2018, the Fish and Wildlife Service organization formally removed the mammal from
the list of endangered species by declaring the feline extinct. The Canadian
Wildlife Service, however, has not yet taken any stance on the question.

On January
22, 2018, the de-listing was finalized, while the cats were officially declared
extinct. However, according to a statement released by the Center for
Biological Diversity – The eastern cougar was extinct well before it was
protected under the Endangered Species Act, as was the case with eight of the
other ten species that have been de-listed for extinction.

Physical
Description

Also known
as catamount, mountain lion, panther, these cats had a characteristic long tail
of about 3 feet in length. This was an adaptation to help them maintain balance
and steer directions swiftly while chasing prey.

The males of
the species were larger than their female counterparts. They had long but slender
bodies with a rather small, broad, and rounded heads. Their ears were short,
erect and round.

The entire
body of the eastern puma was covered with short tan to light brown fur that
turned tawnier in the summer months and grayer during the winter. This
evolution of body color was probably an adaptation for camouflage amidst the
dry summer leaves and grayish/whitish winter snow.

Their chin,
muzzle and the underparts were creamy to dull white whereas the tip of the
tail, the back of the ears, and the base of the whiskers had some black
coloration. The baby cougars were rather paler than the adults, but with characteristic
dark spots on the flank region.

Behavior
and Diet

Eastern pumas were solitary, territorial hunters. The males usually protected their
territories from other males by making scrapes by making a pile of pine
needles, leaves and twigs and urinating upon it.

These
mammals were active during both day and night, but were likely to be most
active at dusk and dawn.

The main
source of food of the eastern puma was the white-tailed deer. These carnivores would kill and consume meat from
one deer for around 7 to 10 days.

However, the
big cat will also hunt and feed on various other species of smaller animals including
elks, rabbits, raccoons, porcupines, and even mice, or occasionally attack domestic
livestock too.

Interesting
Facts

Like wolves, cougars often kill old, weak
or sick individuals, leaving the prey population in a healthier overall condition.

Adult eastern pumas have no natural predators or enemies
except the man with hunting dogs.

These animals were unable to call or roar
like other large cats like panthers, tigers or lions, but could only purr.

An adult male or female had the ability to
stalk and kill animals weighing up to seven times its own size.

According to many locals, the scream of
the eastern pumas sounded
like that of a woman.

Published on April 24th 2019 by admin under Mammals.
Article was last reviewed on 13th September 2019.